“Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy”

Each Saturday and Tuesday during Lent, the devotion will consist of visual or musical works of art for you to contemplate. There might be a brief quote or statement for you to consider as you view/listen to the material; there may be notes from or about the artist or work. We hope you will find meaning in these pieces during your lenten journey.

On Sunday, March 23, 2014, the River Road Church, Baptist, Chancel Bell Choir directed by Chuck Todd played an arrangement by Matthew Compton of “Come Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy”. Listen (again) to this beautiful work. The words of the hymn are given below.

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Notes: In 1757, after living a life he described as “carnal and spiritual wickedness, irreligious and profane,” Joseph Hart turned to Christ (Psalter Hymnal Handbook). Two years later, he wrote this famous hymn. Now, having undergone numerous text and tune changes, it still remains a classic hymn of invitation to turn from our sinful ways by the grace of God into the waiting arms of our Savior. The added refrain hearkens back to the story of the prodigal son, who, like Hart, turned from a life of waywardness and folly back to his father’s waiting arms. The hymn is thus an invitation to bring our broken, humbled selves before Christ knowing that he waits for us, and, with the refrain, a response to that call, a declaration that by the grace of God, we will rise up and go to Jesus.